Did you know that vomiting or diarrhea in a child can be symptoms of gastroenteritis? This is an infection of the stomach and intestines. It’s also sometimes known as a “stomach bug.”
Here are six signs of gastroenteritis in Children:
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Vomiting
Vomiting is one of the most common symptoms of gastroenteritis in children. If your kid has been vomiting for more than two days, you should take them to see a doctor.
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Diarrhea
Diarrhea occurs when there’s frequent passage of loose, unformed stool. It’s often accompanied by an urgent need to defecate and cramping within the abdomen.
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Fever
A high fever is another sign that your child may be suffering due to a gastroenteritis infection.
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Nausea
Children with gastroenteritis often feel nauseous and may even throw up. They may also be unable to eat or drink due to nausea.
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Loss of appetite
It is quite common for children suffering from gastroenteritis to lose their appetite or experience a decrease in appetite because of nausea or persistent vomiting.
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Frequent bowel movements
If your child has frequent bowel movements that are loose or watery, they could be suffering from gastroenteritis.
Treatment Options for Gastroenteritis in Children:
If your child has mild symptoms of gastroenteritis, you can often treat them yourself at home by following these steps:
- Give plenty of fluids to drink including ORS solution
- Make them rest as much as possible
- Let them eat when they feel up to it
- Give medication to relieve pain and fever (such as paracetamol)
- Avoid foods that may worsen their symptoms until they feel better
Remember to take your child to the doctor if they don’t improve with these measures!
Conclusion
Here, we’ve provided six tell-tale signs of gastroenteritis in children, and we also gave you some options to help them get relief. We believe you found this article useful to your knowledge and understanding of gastroenteritis in children. For more information, contact Dr. Vishesh Dikshit at Pune.
About Dr. Vishesh Dikshit
Dr. Vishesh Dikshit graduated from Govt. Medical College Calicut, Kerala, in 2004 with an MBBS degree in medicine. MS in General Surgery from Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College in Sion, Mumbai, in 2012, and MCh in Pediatric Surgery from Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College in Sion, Mumbai, in 2015.
In particular, he is interested in Pediatric Minimal Access Surgery (through Laparoscopy, Thoracoscopy, and Genitourinary-scopy), Pediatric Colorectal diseases (including Hirschprung’s disease and Anorectal Abnormalities), and Pediatric Urology Disease.